Inheritance of rules across hierarchical levels

A computer storage device having computer-executable instructions for defining rules associated with a performance of an application at different hierarchical levels by different users, comprising:

• displaying the rules including current rules from a current hierarchical level and inherited rules from hierarchical levels above the current hierarchical level to form displayed rules, wherein any rules created at a hierarchical level above the current hierarchical level are automatically inherited by lower hierarchical levels in a same branch of hierarchy;
• distinguishing the inherited rules from the current rules from the current hierarchical level within a display;
• preventing editing and deleting of the inherited rules and allowing enabling and disabling of the inherited rules;
• receiving a change to the displayed rules;
• determining that the current hierarchical level is above a lowest hierarchical level;
• and
• in response to determining that the current hierarchical level is above the lowest hierarchical level, automatically providing the change to each lower hierarchical level such that when the inherited rules are displayed at each of the lower hierarchical levels the change made to the displayed rules is shown.

A system for defining rules associated with a performance of an application at different hierarchical levels by different users, comprising:

• a network connection that is coupled to tenants of a multi-tenant service;
• a processor and a computer-readable medium;
• an operating environment stored on the computer-readable medium and executing on the processor;
• and
• a rules manager operating under a control of the operating environment and operative to:
• displaying the rules including current rules from a current hierarchical level and inherited rules from hierarchical levels above the current hierarchical level to form displayed rules, wherein any rules created at a hierarchical level above the current hierarchical level are automatically inherited by lower hierarchical levels in a same branch of hierarchy;
• distinguishing the inherited rules from the current rules from the current hierarchical level within a display;
• preventing editing and deleting of the inherited rules and allowing enabling and disabling of the inherited rules;
• receiving a change to the displayed rules;
• determining that the current hierarchical level is above a lowest hierarchical level;
• and
• in response to determining that the current hierarchical level is above the lowest hierarchical level, automatically providing the change to each lower hierarchical level such that when the inherited rules are displayed at each of the lower hierarchical levels the change made to the displayed rules is shown.